PTI demands full court sans CJP hear judges’ letters case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday demanded a full court, excluding the Chief Justice of Pakistan, hear the case of alleged meddling in judicial affairs on a daily basis.

Speaking at a press conference here along with Gilgit-Baltistan former chief minister Khalid Khursheed and PTI Core Committee Member Advocate Abuzar Salman Niazi, PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan demanded the CJP disassociate himself from the bench, alleging he could not do justice.

The PTI leader said the entire judiciary was standing on one side about the interference in judicial affairs, while the CJP was on the other side. He pointed out that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges’ letter and the Lahore, Peshawar and Balochistan high courts’ responses were an indictment and the chief justice should have taken up the matter as per the Constitution, but he adopted an entirely different view on the matter.

Raoof said that six IHC judges wrote to the chief justice to take up the matter of meddling in judicial affairs in the Supreme Judicial Council, but he referred the matter to the executive, and asked the prime minister to form a commission to investigate the matter.

However, he said they should not forget that two persons, who were implicated, one of those was prime minister and the other were operatives of intelligence agencies. He contended that giving responsibility to an implicated person to constitute a commission and appoint its head to look into the matter was questionable. Abuzar Niazi said the judicial independence was the main feature of the Constitution and no one would compromise on it because if the judicial process was being sabotaged, then it would directly impact the individuals’ right to access to justice.

He contended that it was not only the issue of judges or judiciary but of every citizen of the country, adding that judicial review was a check on the executive so it could not violate the Constitution and law of the land.

Abuzar said the PTI had filed a number of petitions including a petition on May 9 incidents and party’s reserved seats, but lamentably those petitions were not fixed till date. There were reports about fixing of CJP’s tenure for three years, for which the constitutional amendment was needed, he pointed out and noted that it was directly related to the PTI’s petition regarding reserved seats; therefore, it was being delayed so that the mandate thieves could get the required majority in the parliament to do the necessary constitutional amendment.

In such a situation, he added as to how they could expect justice from the CJP.

Earlier, speaking on the Labour Day, Raoof said Imran Khan-led government had taken a number of initiatives to make Pakistan a welfare state but unfortunately his dream could not be materialised due to the conspiracy to oust his government.

However, he added, the PTI would raise its voice for problems of labourers and would make all-out efforts to address them.Raoof lashed out at the Punjab government for using force against peaceful protesting farmers, who were being forced to sell wheat at lesser price than the production cost.

Khalid Khursheed said special mouthpieces had started creating a specific narrative after judges’ letter about the intelligence agencies’ interference in judicial affairs, adding that there was a king of jungle and a law of jungle in the country.

About what he alleged glaring disparity in the treatment meted out to Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, he said that showed a disturbing reality of double standards and injustice.